Security Official Killed Near Damascus

People inspect the damage at the site of an attack by two suicide bombers in Damascus, Syria. Reuters file photo
People inspect the damage at the site of an attack by two suicide bombers in Damascus, Syria. Reuters file photo
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Security Official Killed Near Damascus

People inspect the damage at the site of an attack by two suicide bombers in Damascus, Syria. Reuters file photo
People inspect the damage at the site of an attack by two suicide bombers in Damascus, Syria. Reuters file photo

A Syrian security official was killed while traveling in Damascus’ countryside after a number of unknown gunmen targeted his convoy.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the gunmen opened fire on the head of the “military security detachment” on al-Salam highway near Kanaker town in western Ghouta.

One of his escorts was also killed in the attack.

The official is from Banias city.

Tensions have continued to grow in Kanaker after three women from the town were arrested by the regime's security services for unknown reasons.

The Observatory noted that several young men took down a huge poster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, setting it on fire, following the arrest of the women.

According to SOHR sources, the town has been witnessing rising tensions and deployment of local gunmen on main roads.

The Observatory also said that unknown gunmen shot a former member of the opposition, who had been part of the “reconciliation and settlement” initiative and had later joined the ranks of regime forces.

This brings the number of attacks and assassination attempts through IEDs, landmines, booby-trapped vehicles and shootings to over 678 since June.

The number of deaths in the same period has risen to 449 persons, 123 of whom are civilians, including 12 women and 15 children, in addition to 209 regime soldiers and loyalists.

In addition, 79 people from opposition factions, who had made “settlements and reconciliations” with the regime and joined security services, have also been killed, including former leaders, 23 members of Syrian militias affiliated with Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iranian forces, and 22 members of the so-called “Fifth Brigade.”



Baku Seeking to Diffuse Tensions between Israel, Türkiye in Syria

Turkish troops return after a joint US-Türkiye patrol in northern Syria, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Akcakale, Türkiye, September 8, 2019. (Reuters)
Turkish troops return after a joint US-Türkiye patrol in northern Syria, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Akcakale, Türkiye, September 8, 2019. (Reuters)
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Baku Seeking to Diffuse Tensions between Israel, Türkiye in Syria

Turkish troops return after a joint US-Türkiye patrol in northern Syria, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Akcakale, Türkiye, September 8, 2019. (Reuters)
Turkish troops return after a joint US-Türkiye patrol in northern Syria, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Akcakale, Türkiye, September 8, 2019. (Reuters)

With growing influence after its recapture of Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenian separatists in 2023, Azerbaijan is using its close ties with Israel and Türkiye to defuse tensions between the regional foes in Syria.

Azerbaijan’s top foreign policy adviser Hikmet Hajiyev told AFP that Baku has hosted more than three rounds of talks between Türkiye and Israel, who are both operating in Syria to reduce what they see as security threats.

“Azerbaijan is making diplomatic efforts for an agreement,” Hajiyev told Turkish journalists in Baku on a visit organized by the Istanbul-based Global Journalism Council. “Both Türkiye and Israel trust us.”

The overthrow of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad sparked security concerns in Israel.

It has since staged hundreds of strikes deep inside Syria, the latest on Friday, to allegedly stop advanced weapons falling into the hands of Syria’s extremists and to protect the Druze minority.

Israel has accused Ankara of seeking to turn Syria into a Turkish protectorate, raising fears of a confrontation.

In Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev is considered a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He has consistently aligned himself with Ankara’s positions on key international matters, including the Syrian issue.

Azerbaijan also enjoys good relations with Israel, which is very reliant on Azerbaijani oil, and is a major arms supplier to Baku.

And now Baku, which has established contacts with Syria’s new rulers, is pushing quiet diplomacy by facilitating technical talks between Türkiye and Israel.

“We are successful if the two parties agree on a common model that respects each other’s concerns,” Farid Shafiyev, chairman of the Baku-based Center for Analysis of International Relations, told AFP.

“Syria, and especially its northern territories, is the Turkish security concern,” he said.

Türkiye wants to control northern Syria but also to “have a stronger presence” around the Palmyra and T4 airbases to ensure security around Damascus, he added.

In facilitating Türkiye-Israel dialogue on Syria, Azerbaijan is playing a “strategic role,” said Zaur Mammadov, chairman of Baku Political Scientists Club.

“(It) reflects Azerbaijan’s growing influence as a mediator... among regional actors,” he said.

Azerbaijan fought two wars with arch-foe Armenia for control of the disputed Karabakh region -- one in the 1990s and another in 2020 -- before it managed to seize the entire area in a 24-hour offensive in September 2023.